Verstappen braced for ‘more difficult’ weekend in Monaco (2024)

FAQs

Is Monaco the hardest F1 track? ›

Every Formula 1 pilot dreams to win on the Mythical Circuit of Monaco which is the slowest and hardest of the Formula 1 World Championship ^TM .

Max Verstappen had to settle for sixth position at the end of a challenging Monaco Grand Prix weekend for himself and Red Bull – marking the first time he has finished a race off the podium all season.

Winner: Charles Leclerc

The 26-year-old is the first Monegasque to win the Monaco Grand Prix in 93 years – and this is his first win since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, ending a run of 39 races without standing on the top step of the podium.

Racingpass.net calculated that in 2023 there were "as many as" 22 overtakes, although that number was so high thanks in part to the rain that fell in the closing stages. In 2022, there were 13 overtaking events, even then there was wet tarmac.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has seen the most fatalities; seven drivers have died there during the time that the Indianapolis 500 formed part of the world championship, though the Indianapolis 500 was held to AAA regulations rather than Formula One regulations.

Nurburgring Nordschleife, Germany. This circuit is often referred to as the "Green Hell" due to its incredibly challenging layout and numerous blind corners. The circuit is over 20 kilometers long and has over 170 corners, making it one of the longest and most difficult tracks in the world.

Do all drivers live in Monaco? No, not all drivers live in Monaco. Some, like Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen, and Carlos Sainz value family ties and cultural connections in their home countries.

It's not racing as such when you're just driving around three or four seconds off the pace because the other car hasn't got any chance of overtaking.” Overtaking at Monaco is incredibly rare because of the street circuit's tight confines and the heavy and large modern cars.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, the only Formula One driver born and raised in the area, finally wins his home race in Monte Carlo. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc won the Monaco Grand Prix to become the first home winner of Formula One's showcase race since Louis Chiron raced around the city streets in 1931.

But the priority, the real event, was the race winner who led every lap of. Charles Leclerc was the winner of the Monaco Grand Prix and his liberating scream said it all.

What is the Monaco curse in F1? ›

The now-broken Leclerc home “curse” included two previous Monaco F1 pole positions that he failed to convert into wins — one in 2021, when a gearbox failure caused by a qualifying crash meant he failed to start the race, and one in 2022, when a strategy error by Ferrari sent him tumbling down the order.

Monaco has been a happy hunting ground for Max Verstappen specifically and Oracle Red Bull Racing generally over the years; the team has won the most famous race in the sport seven times, and in four of the past five instalments of the event.

Lewis holds the record for the fastest lap at the Monaco Grand Prix with a 1:12.909 lap time set in 2021. The 2006 Monaco Grand Prix is remembered for Michael Schumacher's controversial qualifying incident at the Rascasse corner.

Fewest overtakes in a race - 0, 2003 Monaco Grand Prix, 2005 US Grand Prix, 2009 European Grand Prix, 2021 Monaco Grand Prix, 2021 Belgian Grand Prix.

Circuit stats

Of the current F1 grid, Daniel Ricciardo (2018), Sergio Perez (2022), Lewis Hamilton (2008, 2016, 2019) and championship leader Max Verstappen (2021, 2023) have all won here previously. Lap record: 1:12.909, Lewis Hamilton (2021).

Red Bull Ring, Austria

On paper, this looks like the easiest track layout the drivers have all year – and the official Formula 1 game lists the Red Bull Ring as 'Very Easy' on its difficulty rankings, but that is not necessarily a barrier to great racing.

Ask a Grand Prix driver whether Monaco is worthy of its place on the Formula 1 calendar, and the answer will usually be yes. That's even though the Grand Prix can often be less than thrilling. The track is so narrow and the cars so big that drivers rarely can pass, or overtake, each other.

It may sound strange, but Monaco actually offers F1 drivers a bit of normality! The unique privacy laws and severe restrictions on professional photography – for which express written permission must be received from the government – allow them to move around without being hassled.